Package leaflet: Information for the user Montelukast 4 mg chewable tablets For children from 2 to 5 years Montelukast Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start giving this medicine to your child because it contains important information for you. - Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again. - If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. - This medicine has been prescribed for your child only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as your child s. - If your child gets any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4. What is in this leaflet 1. What Montelukast is and what it is used for 2. What you need to know before your child takes Montelukast 3. How to take Montelukast 4. Possible side effects 5. How to store Montelukast 6. Contents of the pack and other information 1. What Montelukast is and what it is used for What Montelukast is Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist that blocks substances called leukotrienes. How Montelukast works Leukotrienes cause narrowing and swelling of airways in the lungs. By blocking leukotrienes, Montelukast improves asthma symptoms and helps control asthma. When Montelukast should be used Your doctor has prescribed Montelukast to treat your child s asthma, preventing asthma symptoms during the day and night. - Montelukast is used for the treatment of 2 to 5 year old patients who are not adequately controlled on their medication and need additional therapy. - Montelukast may also be used as an alternative treatment to inhaled corticosteroids for 2 to 5 year old patients who have not recently taken oral corticosteroids for their asthma and have shown that they are unable to use inhaled corticosteroids. - Montelukast also helps prevent the narrowing of airways triggered by exercise for patients 2 years of age and older. Your doctor will determine how Montelukast should be used depending on the symptoms and severity of your child s asthma. What is asthma? Asthma is a long-term disease. Asthma includes:
- difficulty breathing because of narrowed airways. This narrowing of airways worsens and improves in response to various conditions. - sensitive airways that react to many things, such as cigarette smoke, pollen, or cold air, or exercise. - swelling (inflammation) in the lining of airways. Symptoms of asthma include: Coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. 2. What you need to know before you give Montelukast to your child Tell your doctor about any medical problems or allergies your child has now or has had. Do not give Montelukast to your child: - if your child is allergic to montelukast or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you give Montelukast to your child. - If your child s asthma or breathing gets worse, tell your doctor immediately. - Oral Montelukast is not meant to treat acute asthma attacks. If an attack occurs, follow the instructions your doctor has given you for your child. Always have your child s inhaled rescue medicine for asthma attacks with you. - It is important that your child take all asthma medications prescribed by your doctor. Montelukast should not be used instead of other asthma medications your doctor has prescribed for your child. - If your child is on anti-asthma medicines, be aware that if he/she develops a combination of symptoms such as flu-like illness, pins and needles or numbness of arms or legs, worsening of pulmonary symptoms, and/or rash, you should consult your doctor. - Your child should not take acetyl-salicylic acid (aspirin) or anti-inflammatory medicines (also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs) if they make his/her asthma worse. Children and adolescents Do not give this medicine to children less than 2 years of age. There are different form of this medicine available for paediatric patients under 18 years of age based on age range. Other medicines and Montelukast Tell your doctor or pharmacist if your child is taking or has recently been given or might be given any other medicines including those obtained without a prescription. Some medicines may affect how Montelukast works, or Montelukast may affect how your child s other medicines work. Tell your doctor if your child is taking the following medicines before starting Montelukast phenobarbital (used for treatment of epilepsy) phenytoin (used for treatment of epilepsy) rifampicin (used to treat tuberculosis and some other infections). Montelukast with food and drink Montelukast 4 mg chewable tablets should not be taken immediately with food; they should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding This subsection is not applicable for Montelukast 4 mg chewable tablets since they are intended for use in children 2 to 5 years of age. Driving and using machines This subsection is not applicable for the Montelukast 4 mg chewable tablets since they are intended for use in children 2 to 5 years of age, however the following information is relevant to the active ingredient, montelukast. Montelukast is not expected to affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. However, individual responses to medication may vary. Certain side effects (such as dizziness and drowsiness), that have been reported with Montelukast may affect some patients ability to drive or operate machinery. Montelukast contains aspartame Contains a source of phenylalanine. May be harmful for children with phenylketonuria. 3. How to take Montelukast Always have your child take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your child s doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. - This medicine is to be given to a child under adult supervision. For children who have problems consuming a chewable tablet, an oral granule formulation is available. - Your child should take only one chewable tablet of Montelukast once a day as prescribed by your doctor. - It should be taken even when your child has no symptoms or if he/she has an acute asthma attack. Use in children 2 to 5 years of age: The recommended dose is one 4 mg chewable tablet daily to be taken in the evening. If your child is taking Montelukast, be sure that he/she does not take any other medicines that contain the same active ingredient, montelukast. This medicine is for oral use. The tablets are to be chewed before swallowing. Montelukast4 mg chewable tablets should not be taken immediately with food; it should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food. If your child takes more Montelukast than he/she should Contact your child s doctor immediately for advice. There were no side effects reported in the majority of overdose reports. The most frequently occurring symptoms reported with overdose in adults and children included abdominal pain, sleepiness, thirst, headache, vomiting, and hyperactivity. If you forget to give Montelukast to your child
Try to give Montelukast as prescribed. However, if your child misses a dose, just resume the usual schedule of one chewable tablet once daily. Do not give a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If your child stops taking Montelukast Montelukast can treat your child s asthma only if he/she continues taking it. It is important for your child to continue taking Montelukast for as long as your doctor prescribes. It will help control your child s asthma. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your child s doctor or pharmacist. 4. Possible side effects Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. In clinical studies with montelukast 4 mg chewable tablets, the most commonly reported side effect (occurring in at least 1 of 100 patients and less than 1 of 10 paediatric patients treated) thought to be related to treatment with montelukast were: abdominal pain, thirst. Additionally, the following side effect was reported in clinical studies with montelukast 10 mg film-coated tablets and 5 mg chewable tablets: headache These were usually mild and occurred at a greater frequency in patients treated with montelukast than placebo (a pill containing no active substance). The frequency of possible side effects listed below is defined using the following convention: Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data Additionally, while the medicine has been on the market, the following have been reported: - pper respiratory infection (very common) - increased bleeding tendency (rare) - allergic reactions including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat which may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing (uncommon) - behaviour and mood related changes [dream abnormalities, including nightmares, trouble sleeping, sleepwalking, irritability, feeling anxious, restlessness, agitation including aggressive behaviour or hostility, depression (uncommon); tremor, disturbance in attention, memory impairment (rare); hallucinations, disorientation, suicidal thoughts and actions (very rare)] - dizziness, drowsiness, pins and needles/numbness, seizure (uncommon) - palpitations (rare) - nosebleed (uncommon), swelling (inflammation) of the lungs (very rare) - diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting (common); dry mouth, indigestion (uncommon)
- hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) (very rare) - rash (common); bruising, itching, hives (uncommon); tender red lumps under the skin most commonly on your shins (erythema nodosum), severe skin reactions (erythema multiforme) that may occur without warning (very rare) - joint or muscle pain, muscle cramps (uncommon) - fever (common); weakness/tiredness, feeling unwell, swelling (uncommon) In asthmatic patients treated with montelukast, very rare cases of a combination of symptoms such as flu-like illness, pins and needles or numbness of arms and legs, worsening of pulmonary symptoms and/or rash (Churg-Strauss syndrome) have been reported. You must tell your doctor right away if your child gets one or more of these symptoms (see section 2). Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via IMB Pharmacovigilance, Earlsfort Terrace, IRL - Dublin 2; Tel: +353 1 6764971; Fax: +353 1 6762517. Website: www.imb.ie; e-mail: imbpharmacovigilance@imb.ie. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine. 5. How to store Montelukast Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Store in the original package in order to protect from light. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment. 6. Contents of the pack and other information What Montelukast chewable tablets contain - The active substance is montelukast. Each chewable tablet contains 4 mg montelukast (as montelukast sodium). - The other ingredients are mannitol (E421), microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, hydroxypropylcellulose, aspartame (E951), red iron oxide (E172), flavour cherry black (also contains glyceryl triacetate (E1518)) and magnesium stearate (see section 2). What Montelukast chewable tablets looks like and contents of the pack Pink, marbled, round, slightly biconvex tablets with bevelled edges and inscription 4 on one side. Boxes of 7, 10, 14, 20, 28, 30, 49, 50, 56, 84, 90, 98, 100, 140 or 200 chewable tablets in blisters are available.
Marketing Authorisation Holder KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto, Šmarješka cesta 6, 8501 Novo mesto, Slovenia Manufacturer KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto, Šmarješka cesta 6, 8501 Novo mesto, Slovenia KRKA Polska Sp. z o.o., ul. Równoległa 5, 02-235 Warsaw, Poland TAD Pharma GmbH, Heinz-Lohmann-Straße 5, 27472 Cuxhaven, Germany This medicinal product is authorised in the Member States of the EEA under the following names: Bulgaria, Estonia, Lihtuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia Denmark, Finland, Norway, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, France, Netherlands, Sweden Ireland, United Kingdom Hungary Portugal Monkasta Montelukast Krka Montelukast Monalux Montelucaste Krka This leaflet was last revised in
Package leaflet: Information for the user Montelukast 5 mg chewable tablets For children from 6 to 14 years Montelukast Read all of this leaflet carefully before youor your chid start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you or your child. - Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again. - If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. - This medicine has been prescribed for your or your child only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as you or your child s. - If you or your child gets any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4. What is in this leaflet 1. What Montelukast is and what it is used for 2. What you need to know before you take Montelukast 3. How to take Montelukast 4. Possible side effects 5. How to store Montelukast 6. Contents of the pack and other information 1. What Montelukast is and what it is used for What Montelukast is Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist that blocks substances called leukotrienes. How Montelukast works Leukotrienes cause narrowing and swelling of airways in the lungs. By blocking leukotrienes, Montelukast improves asthma symptoms and helps control asthma. When Montelukast should be used Your doctor has prescribed Montelukast to treat asthma, preventing asthma symptoms during the day and night. - Montelukast is used for the treatment of paediatric patients 6 to 14 year old patients who are not adequately controlled on their medication and need additional therapy. - Montelukast may also be used as an alternative treatment to inhaled corticosteroids for 6 to 14 year old patients who have not recently taken oral corticosteroids for their asthma and have shown that they are unable to use inhaled corticosteroids. - Montelukast also helps prevent the narrowing of airways triggered by exercise. Your doctor will determine how Montelukast should be used depending on the symptoms and severity of your or your child's asthma. What is asthma? Asthma is a long-term disease. Asthma includes:
- difficulty breathing because of narrowed airways. This narrowing of airways worsens and improves in response to various conditions. - sensitive airways that react to many things, such as cigarette smoke, pollen, or cold air, or exercise. - swelling (inflammation) in the lining of airways. Symptoms of asthma include: Coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. 2. What you need to know before you give Montelukast to your child Tell your doctor about any medical problems or allergies you or your child has now or has had. Do not give Montelukast to your child: if your child is allergic to montelukast or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you or your child take Montelukast. If you or your child s asthma or breathing gets worse, tell your doctor immediately. Oral Montelukast is not meant to treat acute asthma attacks. If an attack occurs, follow the instructions your doctor has given you or your child. Always have your inhaled rescue medicine for asthma attacks with you. It is important that you or your child take all asthma medications prescribed by your doctor. Montelukast should not be used instead of other asthma medications your doctor has prescribed for you or your child. Any patient on anti-asthma medicines should be aware that if he/she develops a combination of symptoms such as flu-like illness, pins and needles or numbness of arms or legs, worsening of pulmonary symptoms, and/or rash, he/she should consult his/her doctor. You or your child should not take acetyl-salicylic acid (aspirin) or anti-inflammatory medicines (also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs) if they make your asthma worse. Children and adolescents Do not give this medicine to children less than 6 years of age. There are different form of this medicine available for paediatric patients under 18 years of age based on age range. Other medicines and Montelukast Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you or your child are taking or have recently taken or might take any other medicines including those obtained without a prescription. Some medicines may affect how Montelukast works, or Montelukast may affect how your child s other medicines work. Tell the doctor if you or your child is taking the following medicines before starting Montelukast phenobarbital (used for treatment of epilepsy) phenytoin (used for treatment of epilepsy) rifampicin (used to treat tuberculosis and some other infections).
Montelukast with food Montelukast 5 mg chewable tablets should not be taken immediately with food; they should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food. Pregnancy and breast-feeding If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. Pregnancy Your doctor will assess whether you can take Montelukast during this time. Breast-feeding It is not known if Montelukast appears in breast-milk. You should consult your doctor before taking Montelukast if you are breast-feeding or intend to breast-feed. Driving and using machines Montelukast is not expected to affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. However, individual responses to medication may vary. Certain side effects (such as dizziness and drowsiness), that have been reported with montelukast may affect some patients ability to drive or operate machinery. Montelukast contains aspartame Contains a source of phenylalanine. May be harmful for children with phenylketonuria. 3. How to take Montelukast Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. You or your child should take only one tablet of Montelukast once a day as prescribed by your doctor. It should be taken even when you or your child has no symptoms or has an acute asthma attack. Use in children 6 to 14 years of age The recommended dose is one 5 mg chewable tablet daily to be taken in the evening. If you or your child are taking Montelukast, be sure that you or your child do not take any other products that contain the same active ingredient, montelukast. This medicine is for oral use. The tablets are to be chewed before swallowing. Montelukast 5 mg chewable tablets should not be taken immediately with food; it should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food. If you/your child take/takess more Montelukast than you/he/she should Contact your doctor immediately for advice.
There were no side effects reported in the majority of overdose reports. The most frequently occurring symptoms reported with overdose in adults and children included abdominal pain, sleepiness, thirst, headache, vomiting, and hyperactivity. If you forget to take Montelukast or give it to your child Try to take/give Montelukast as prescribed. However, if you or your child misses a dose, just resume the usual schedule of one chewable tablet once daily. Do not take/give a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you or your child stop/stopss taking Montelukast Montelukast can treat your or your child s asthma only if you or your child continue/continues to take it. It is important to continue taking Montelukast for as long as your doctor prescribes. It will help control your or your child s asthma. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. 4. Possible side effects Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. In clinical studies with montelukast 5 mg chewable tablets, the most commonly reported side effect (occurring in at least 1 of 100 patients and less than 1 of 10 paediatric patients treated) thought to be related to montelukast was: headache Additionally, the following side effect was reported in clinical studies with montelukast 10 mg film-coated tablets: abdominal pain These were usually mild and occurred at a greater frequency in patients treated with montelukast than placebo (a pill containing no medication). The frequency of possible side effects listed below is defined using the following convention: Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data Additionally, while the medicine has been on the market, the following have been reported: - upper respiratory infection (very common) - increased bleeding tendency (rare) - allergic reactions including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat which may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing (uncommon) - behaviour and mood related changes [dream abnormalities, including nightmares, trouble sleeping, sleepwalking, irritability, feeling anxious, restlessness, agitation including aggressive behaviour or hostility, depression (uncommon); tremor, disturbance in attention, memory impairment (rare); hallucinations, disorientation, suicidal thoughts and actions (very rare)]
- dizziness, drowsiness, pins and needles/numbness, seizure (uncommon) - palpitations (rare) - nosebleed (uncommon), swelling (inflammation) of the lungs (very rare) - diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting (common); dry mouth, indigestion (uncommon) - hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) (very rare) - rash (common); bruising, itching, hives (uncommon); tender red lumps under the skin most commonly on your shins (erythema nodosum), severe skin reactions (erythema multiforme) that may occur without warning (very rare) - joint or muscle pain, muscle cramps (uncommon) - fever (common); weakness/tiredness, feeling unwell, swelling (uncommon) In asthmatic patients treated with montelukast, very rare cases of a combination of symptoms such as flu-like illness, pins and needles or numbness of arms and legs, worsening of pulmonary symptoms and/or rash (Churg-Strauss syndrome) have been reported. You must tell your doctor right away if you get one or more of these symptoms (see section 2). Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via HPRA Pharmacovigilance Earlsfort Terrace IRL - Dublin 2 Tel: +353 1 6764971 Fax: +353 1 6762517 Website: www.hpra.ie e-mail: medsafety@hpra.ie By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine. 5. How to store Montelukast Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the blister and carton after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Store in the original package in order to protect from light. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment. 6. Contents of the pack and other information What Montelukast chewable tablets contain - The active substance is montelukast. Each chewable tablet contains 5 mg montelukast (as montelukast sodium).
- The other ingredients are mannitol (E421), microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, hydroxypropylcellulose, aspartame (E951), red iron oxide (E172), flavour cherry black (also contains glyceryl triacetate (E1518)) and magnesium stearate (see section 2). What Montelukast chewable tablets looks like and contents of the pack Pink, marbled, round, slightly biconvex tablets with bevelled edges and inscription 5 on one side. Boxes of 7, 10, 14, 20, 28, 30, 49, 50, 56, 84, 90, 98, 100, 140 or 200 chewable tablets in blisters are available. Marketing Authorisation Holder KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto, Šmarješka cesta 6, 8501 Novo mesto, Slovenia Manufacturer KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto, Šmarješka cesta 6, 8501 Novo mesto, Slovenia KRKA Polska Sp. z o.o., ul. Równoległa 5, 02-235 Warsaw, Poland TAD Pharma GmbH, Heinz-Lohmann-Straße 5, 27472 Cuxhaven, Germany This medicinal product is authorised in the Member States of the EEA under the following names: Bulgaria, Estonia, Lihtuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia Denmark, Finland, Norway, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, France, Netherlands, Sweden Ireland, United Kingdom Hungary Portugal Monkasta Montelukast Krka Montelukast Monalux Montelucaste Krka This leaflet was last revised in